1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise devices. Specifically those exercise devices that provide targeted anaerobic exercise through the use of the exerciser's body weight.
2. Description of Prior Art
Physical exercise provides well known benefits. When performed properly and on a regular basis, physical exercise helps individuals control weight, combat health conditions and diseases, improve emotional well-being, increase energy and improve sleep.
Although overlap is common, athletes generally categorize exercises into aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise improves the strength and efficiency of the exerciser's cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Anaerobic exercise increases the efficiency and number of muscle fibers affected by a particular exercise.
Because anaerobic exercise primarily affects the muscle fibers targeted by a particular exercise, exercisers often perform exercises that isolate and target a particular muscle group.
Exercisers and athletes often attempt to train muscle groups in a manner that allows them to develop muscle fibers while improving their cardiovascular health. This type of training often involves performing several different anaerobic exercises with little or no rest between exercises. An example of this type of training is the Cross Fit style of training. Cross Fit requires an exerciser to perform, for example, push-up followed immediately by pull-ups and other compound exercises.
A variety of exercise devices have been developed to help exercisers isolate and target a particular muscle group. These devices often use an additional component to provide resistance during an exercise. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,382 B2 describes a device for targeting an exerciser's quadriceps and relies on elastic bands to provide resistance.
A variety of exercise devices have been developed that rely on the exerciser's body weight for resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 7,892,157 B2 discloses an exercise device that allows the exerciser to perform a variety of exercises using his or her body weight as resistance. While U.S. Pat. No. 7,892,157 B2 relies on body weight for resistance, it does not support the exerciser's body in a manner that prevents the exerciser's non-targeted muscle groups from assisting in an exercise.
Devices that isolate the biceps are common in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,125 discloses a biceps curling machine. The device successfully targets the exerciser's biceps, but has the disadvantages of requiring a large mechanical frame and heavy metallic weights for resistance and it fails to develop the exerciser's Posterior Deltoids and Latissimus Dorsi. These devices also have the disadvantage of requiring time to set up and, therefore, preventing the exerciser from combining aerobic and anaerobic training.